


Converted to the Joys of Knitting

by vidocqsociety



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-01
Updated: 2012-09-01
Packaged: 2017-11-13 09:02:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/501772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vidocqsociety/pseuds/vidocqsociety
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Knitted gifts keep mysteriously appearing. What the hell?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Converted to the Joys of Knitting

**Author's Note:**

> A fill for [this prompt](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/9218.html?thread=20764418#t20764418) over at the [kink meme](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com). Because I had an image in my head that wouldn't leave.

**The Beanie**

It's sitting on Tony's workbench when he comes down after rolling out of bed mid-afternoon. He picks up a screwdriver and pokes at it with the handle. It _seems_ harmless enough. He picks it up between his forefinger and thumb and examines it. It's a dark red trimmed in a gold yarn shot through with a metallic. A subtle nod to his Iron Man suit without being ostentatious.

Either they knew him too well or not well enough.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, sir?"

He holds to beanie up. "What the hell?"

"It appears to be a hat, sir."

"Ha," Tony retorts. "How'd it get here?"

"I'm not at liberty to say."

"Uh, you're my AI. You're at liberty."

"The person who left it for you and I came to... an understanding," JARVIS explains diplomatically.

"An understanding," Tony repeats in disbelief.

"It is a gift, sir, and the giver wishes to remain anonymous. Both they and the object itself are trustworthy. Therefore, I saw no harm in complying."

"Great. My own creation is rebelling against me."

"Children are prone to such acts, sir."

*

**The Socks**

They're pink, fuzzy, and sitting on top of Natasha's clean clothes when she pads out of the gym's shower in her equally pink, equally fluffy towel. She picks them up and delights in the feel of the soft angora.

She dries off and pulls on her clothes, including the socks. Wiggling her toes, she can't help but smile. There is a bounce in her step as she heads up to dinner.

*

**The Scarf**

It's hanging on the back of the chair when Bruce comes into the lab, dark grey with narrow navy stripes. There is an elegance to it that doesn't match the rest of his raggedy wardrobe. He picks it up and examines it a moment. It's handmade, though by someone with skill. He drapes it around his neck. It's easily the nicest thing he owns now.

And, he can't help but think, the Other Guy won't rip it to shreds when he decides to pop up.

Bruce takes it off, and hangs it on a labcoat hook with a care normally reserved for test tubes full of toxic chemicals. He runs a hand down it one last time appreciatively and gets to work. 

*

**The Ski Mask**

It's laying on Clint's bed when he comes in to pack for his next assignment. He's off to Norway, to track down some extradition-avoiding bastard that SHIELD has had their eye on for months. He's not a fan of the cold, especially when he's high above the fray with nothing to shield him from the bitter winter winds.

It's black and soft and far too nice to be anything SHIELD-issue. He pulls it on. The opening for his eyes is just big enough so the edge avoids his periphery--his usual problem with ski masks. But this one is perfect.

Clint is almost always wary of supposed breaks, but security in the Tower is just as (though Clint suspects more) comprehensive than SHIELD's. The only people with access to his room were friendlies.

Plus it's a _really_ nice mask.

He stuffs it into his bag.

*

**The Fingerless Gloves**

They're sitting atop Mjolnir, which is in its usual place next to the elevator. Thor picks them up and turns them over in his hands. They are indeed curious-looking, but also... there is a comfort to them, in the fact that they were made with care, with him in mind if the size and flare of the wrist were any indication. He pulls them on, the gray-and-white wool stretching over his large forearms. They fit well. 

He lifts Mjolnir. His palm is protected by the material, but his fingers are free to touch and feel and grip the leather-wrapped handle of his hammer. 

A warrior's glove. 

\----------

**The Culprit**

One by one, the Avengers come into the living area. They stand silently in a row, trying to process what they are seeing.

Steve Rogers. Knitting an afghan.

Steve doesn't look up from his project. "You would have figured it out eventually."

Pepper comes in with two cups of tea. "Hi," she says, placing both mugs on the coffee table. She curls back up on the couch and picks up her own project--a sweater much too large for either her or Tony. "Happy," she explains. "For Christmas."

Tony is the first to speak. "You knit."

"Yes." Both Steve and Pepper answer. They glance at each other and grin.

"It's relaxing," Pepper continues. "And working for you? It was either this or drinking."

"Cap?" Tony asks.

Steve shrugs. "Life skill. It was an off-and-on thing, really. I started knitting for the war effort, in between army rejections." He chuckles. "I didn't have a little red wagon to collect scraps in."

"And you're knitting now because...?"

"Gotta do something to wind down after saving the planet. Again. I found out Pepper knitted, so we started a... what'd you call it?"

"Stitch and bitch," Pepper says.

"Right. That."

The room falls silent as this processes. And then:

"You think you can teach me?" Bruce asks, heading over to the couch. "Relaxation methods are kind of my thing."

"I, too, would like to learn this craft." Thor sits next to Pepper, watching her stitch quickly and confidently. "I could knit my lady Jane something to wear when I am called elsewhere."

"That would be nice," Pepper says. "We'll start with a scarf. That's the usual beginner's project."

"Excellent! She often wears a scarf."

"In New Mexico?" Tony asks without thinking. "Wait, are you--did you just start the Avengers Knitting Club?"

"Sweet," Clint, the last hold-out, says. "I'm gonna knit Fury an eyepatch."

**Author's Note:**

> "'I am to be converted to the joys of knitting,' said Mrs. Ali, smiling at the Major.  
> 'My condolences,' he said."  
> ― Helen Simonson, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand


End file.
